* You may read down the page, or choose a link to jump to either of the two categories and navigate by headings.
AAVL Events
non-AAVL Events
Recreation and Entertainment
AAVL Events
AAVL 25th Anniversary Celebration
AAVL celebrated its 25th anniversary on Saturday, February 10, 2024, for two hours on Zoom. Folks shared their reflections and memories of the early years of AAVL and of its dynamic founder and first president, Teddie Joy Remhild. We also talked about our exciting advocacy initiatives on behalf of older people with vision loss, our weekly support group, our newsletter, the Hourglass, our web resource lists, our monthly community calls and much more. We also gave away door prizes.
AAVL 3-Part Podcast Series on Fall Prevention
The Fall Prevention podcast program was held October 7, 12 and 14, 2021. See our AAVL Resources page to listen to the 3 podcast links and download the MS Word resources.
AAA Project
Would you like to catch up? - if you would like to participate, and haven’t yet started the process, either:
Watch the podcast of our April 11 Zoom event https://pnc.st/s/acb-events/325760ad/aavl-and-area-agencies-on-aging-aaa-april-11-2021
or
Go to AAA Project Detailed Instructions
or download your preferred format of AAA Project Detailed Instructions below to start the project:
.doc AAA Project Detailed Instructions
.pdf AAA Project Detailed Instructions
.txt AAA Project Detailed Instructions
For General info:
Go to AAVL Seeks to Coordinate with Area Agencies on Aging
or download your preferred format of the AAA Project Promo Letter below:
.doc AAA Project Promo Letter
.pdf AAA Project Promo Letter
.txt AAA Project Promo Letter
Go to Area Agencies on Aging and How they Help You
or download your preferred format of the AAA Information Sheet below:
.doc AAA Information Sheet
.pdf AAA Information Sheet
.txt AAA Information Sheet
AAVL Special Monthly Meetings
AAVL holds special monthly meetings on topics of interest to its members. All such meetings take place on the fourth Monday of every month starting at 2:00 PM ET, 1:00 PM CT, noon MT, 11:00 AM PT and 8:00 AM HT. All meetings are held on Zoom and play on ACB Media 5. Look for the Zoom instructions in the ACB Community emails.
In November 2022 the special meeting focused on I Can Connect equipment for people who have both sight and hearing loss. You can find a link to hear this podcast at:
https://www.acbmedia.org/category/community
The January 2023 special meeting focused on cruising with low vision or blindness. An audio link for the call is:
January 2023 special meeting audio
The February 2023 special meeting focused on the ACB Advocacy Update on February 16, 2023. An audio link for the call is:
February 2023 special meeting audio
The April 2023 special meeting focused on Traveling Internationally on April 24, 2023. An audio link for the call is:
April 2023 special meeting audio
The May 2023 special meeting focused on Special Considerations when Giving Care to Clients who are Experiencing Vision Loss on May 22, 2023. An audio link for the call is:
May 2023 Special Meeting Audio
The July 2023 special meeting focused on What would you do in an emergency. An audio link for the call is:
July 2023 Special Meeting Audio
The August 2023 special meeting focused on Getting to Know Penny Forward. An audio link for the call is:
August 2023 Special Meeting Audio
The September 2023 special meeting focused on The Blind Shell Phone. An audio link for the call is:
September 2023 Special Meeting Audio
The October 2023 special meeting focused on Senior Housing Options. An audio link for the call is:
October 2023 Special Meeting Audio
The November 2023 special meeting focused on Attitude of Gratitude. An audio link for the call is:
November 2023 Special Meeting Audio
The January 2024 special meeting focused on AAVL Meets Accessible Pharmacy. The audio link for the call is:
January 2024 Monthly Call AAVL Meets Accessible Pharmacy
The AAVL 25th Anniversary Celebration was held on February 10, 2024. The audio link for the call is:
AAVL 25th Anniversary Celebration
The February 2024 AAVL monthly call focused on "Share Your Scams". The audio link for the call is:
February 2024 Share Your Scams
The March 2024 AAVL monthly call focused on "Going back to school as a senior". The audio link for the call is:
March 2024 Going back to school as a senior
The April 2024 AAVL monthly call focused on SASI and Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults. The audio link for the all is:
The May 2024 AAVL monthly call focused on "Mental Health for Seniors and AAVL". The audio link for the call is:
May 2024 Mental Health for Seniors and AAVL
July 2024 AAVL focused on "Planning Your Final Arrangements (Continuation of AAVL Lunch)". The audio link for the call is:
July 2024 Planning your final arrangements
The August 2024 AAVL monthly call focused on "Seniors and Technology". The audio link for the call is:
August 2024 Seniors and Technology
"The Ins and Outs of Sight Loss Later in Life"
Support Group Call. Tuesdays at 4:00 PM Eastern time, 1:00 PM Pacific time AAVL sponsors a community call support group for people losing sight at older ages called "The Ins and Outs of Sight Loss Later in Life". Look for the Zoom instructions in the ACB Community emails.
California Affiliate Support Group Call
The California Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss, a state affiliate member of AAVL, also sponsors a group support call on Friday mornings, from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM Pacific time.
Getting to Know you
The Membership Committee of AAVL invites you to a special call for AAVL members entitled AAVL: We could write a book. This call is simply to provide a chance for AAVL members to get to know each other in an informal way. We can swap stories about interesting things that have happened in our lives, tell about our travel adventures, swap recipes, and whatever else comes to mind. We offer this event every other month, as there are always so many meetings and other things to do.
AAVL at ACB Convention
AAVL participated in ACB’s 63rd Annual Conference and Convention which took place in Jacksonville, FL from July 5 through 12, 2024
Prior to the start of the convention on June 28, AAVL members matched Wits with Next Gen over Zoom. Trivia questions crossed generations as we tried to stump each others' knowledge of the eras. Some were pretty easy and some broke your brain. Alas, the younger generation swamped us old timers. We will demand a rematch next year.
On July 7, AAVL held a lunch meeting in Jacksonville. Following the lunch, there was a presentation concerning planning Your Final Arrangements. This could be attended in Jacksonville or over Zoom. What is an advance medical directive? How can you get prepared and have those hard discussions with family and friends? Have you adequately planned for the disposition of your estate and for your own wishes? We discussed these and other important issues involved in making final arrangements.
AAVL at previous ACB Conventions
https://www.aavl-blind-seniors.org/past-AAVL-at-ACB-conventions
New Teddie Joy Remhild Service Award
AAVL is proud to announce the establishment of The Teddie Joy Remhild Service Award in honor of the founder and first president of the AAVL. The purpose of the award is to recognize exemplary service of an AAVL member who has significantly contributed to improving the well-being of older adults with vision loss. The first recipient is AAVL's former President Jeff Thom who received this award on February 10, 2024, during the special 25th Anniversary Celebration of AAVL's founding.
The Teddie Joy Remhild Service Award is to be given to an member of the Alliance on Aging and Vision Loss who has demonstrated exemplary service in advancing the purposes of this organization in one or more of the following areas:
- By advocating for the improvement of the social, economic and cultural status of older adults with vision loss;
- By promoting and/or participating in education awareness programs regarding the needs, ideas and capabilities of older adults with vision loss;
- By helping to expand and improve rehabilitation and independent living skills training programs for older adults experiencing vision loss, or
- By encouraging, supporting and/or assisting older adults who experience vision loss to realize their potential and assume their role as valued members of their community.
Award Committee members are Jane Perry MA, Kathy Gerhardt OH, Larry Johnson TX, and President Doug Powell VA.
non-AAVL Events
ACB Daily Community Calls
ACB hosts daily community calls on the Zoom platform. Between eight to twelve calls take place each day covering a vast variety of topics including social, technology, support, crafts, music, special groups and quite a few more. For more information and to learn how to join any of the calls, visit the web site:
https://acblists.org/g/ACB-Community-Events.
Visabilities Community Call
Fridays at 7:00 PM Eastern time, 4:00 PM Pacific time Visabilities presents topics of interest to older people with sight loss through a community call. Look for the Zoom instructions in the ACB Community emails.
Recreation and Entertainment
Most of the larger movie theaters now provide audio description for their films. Upon request they lend headsets without charge that contain a voice description of the action occurring in the movie. The description does not overlap the dialog but is given when the actors are not speaking. It identifies the characters by name thus eliminating the guesswork as to which character is involved in each scene. It also provides some description as to character appearances. Proof of diminished vision is not required. Persons wishing to obtain audio description for any film should inquire at the box office; advance reservations are not necessary. All cable television providers must provide audio menus; Comcast and Verizon offer these. Many television stations and Netflix provide audio descriptive tracks for some of their programming. Several companies offer travel programs for blind and low vision persons. Information can be found at the following web sites:
https://seeseatrips.com
https://www.responsiblevacation.com/vacations/accessible/travel-guide/blind-and-partially-sighted
https://www.traveleyes-international.com/blind-travellers
Many museums and landmark buildings will offer special tours for people with limited or no sight. Often an individual guide will host a private tour describing the various exhibits or building attributes and history. Frequently those on these private tours will be offered the opportunity to feel items on display. While arrangements may occasionally be made at the start of a visit, it is usually wise to call in advance to determine what arrangements can be provided. The National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled of the Library of Congress (NLS) provides free books and publications to blind and low vision persons. Typically these are now downloaded from the BARD (Braille and Audio Recording Download) service of the NLS. They can be downloaded and played on smart phones or downloaded on computers, transferred to SD cards and played on special equipment provided for free. For more information, contact your local library.
The books and publications can also be played on smart speakers. The Patron Engagement Section of NLS is offering a new program to assist patrons using the My Talking Book Skill on their smart speaker. The program will be held on the third Thursday of each month from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM eastern time. The session can be joined by going to:
https://loc.zoomgov.com/j/1602732941?pwd=HVJush54XIaZVgJ6NNmog1JId5aLBm.1
Newsline Audio Newspaper Service is an electronic system that allows users to listen to newspapers and magazines through synthetic voice output via any touch-tone telephone, computer or smart phone. It is free of charge. Persons with diminished vision can subscribe through their local libraries. For more information, visit the web site at:
http://www.nfbnewsline.org
ACB Radio, a project of the American Council of the Blind, streams via the internet, up-to-date and relevant information worldwide for persons who are blind or who have low vision, provides programming produced by blind programmers, and offers a platform on which blind musicians and artists express their talents. The ACB Radio shows can also be heard over ordinary telephone by calling (231) 460-1047. To hear ACB Radio shows on the computer or to learn more about ACB Radio, visit the ACB Radio web site at:
http://www.acbradio.org/#main-content